100 Popular French Last Names with Meanings

10 min read

Explore 100 surname entries, from familiar French names to rarer spellings and names with several origins.

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IntroAbadieAllardArchambeauAuclairBarbierBaudelaireBeaufortBeaumontBlanchetBlouinBodinBoireBoisBoucherCadieuxCartierCastillonCellierChapdelaireChastainChevroletCorbinD’aurevilleDe La FontaineDe VilliersDuboisDumontDuplantierDupontDurandEdouardEscoffierFarrowFavreau and FèvreFournierFraiseFrançoisGagneuxGarnierGauthierGuillaumeHerouxHoudeHubertJacquesJanvierJoubertKaplanLa RueLacroixLaflammeLanglaisLapointeLaurentLavigneLavoieLéandreLemaireLemieuxLeroyLévesqueLyonMaçonMeunierMonetMontagneMoreauMoulinNoyerOzannePagePalomerPatenaudePaquetPascalPérigordRenaudRichelieuRivièreRodierRousseauRutterSauveterreSegalSergeantSerresSimonSoulierTavernierTremblayTrottierToussaintVernierVieuxVigneauVinetVisageVoclainYotteZabelleConclusion

Have you ever wondered how a last name came into existence? Or where certain last names come from? Here you will find a selection of 100 surname entries, mainly French names and names with French linguistic roots. This is not a ranking of the 100 most common surnames: some entries are rare, and one entry includes both Favreau and Fèvre.

Intro

No matter the meaning behind the name, it connects you to your family. As such, it can be used to trace your family tree back and learn more about who you are and where you come from. Your last name is almost as much a part of your identity as your first name is.

Abadie

Abadie is a French last name meaning “abbey”.

It comes from the word “abadia”.

Allard

Allard is an old French surname of Germanic origin, from Adelard: adal means “noble” and hard means “strong” or “hard”.

Archambeau

Archambeau is a variant of Archambaud, from the Germanic personal name Arcanbald or Ercanbald.

Its elements mean “sincere” and “bold” or “daring”.

Auclair

Auclair means “son of Clair”, from the personal name Clair. The modern French adjective clair means “clear”, but that alone is not the surname’s origin.

Barbier

Barbier is an Old French last name that originates from the ancestral profession of barber.

A fun fact about this last name is that there is a crater on the moon named Barbier.

Baudelaire

Baudelaire is linked to the badelaire or bazelaire, a curved medieval cutlass. It may have been a nickname for someone who made or carried one.

If you are thinking that this name sounds familiar, it was the family name of the three siblings in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Beaufort

Beaufort is a French surname meaning “beautiful fortress”.

Beaumont

Beaumont is a French surname meaning “beautiful hill or mountain”.

Blanchet

Blanchet is probably a diminutive of Blanc, meaning “white”, originally a nickname referring to white hair or a pale complexion.

Another possible origin is the occupational name Blancher. A “pure” or “pious” reputation is not an established explanation.

Blouin

Blouin comes from the Germanic personal name Biliwin, whose elements mean “kind” or “gentle” and “friend”. It does not simply mean “blue”.

Bodin

Bodin comes from a Germanic personal name built on bod, meaning “messenger”.

Boire

The French verb boire means “to drink”, but the surname can have a different origin. In regions such as the Sarthe and Saône-et-Loire, a regional word boire meant “farm”, offering a geographical explanation.

Other surnames can be connected with drinking: Bibeau, for example, may have been a nickname for a drinker, although its origin is uncertain.

Bois

Bois is a French last name which means “wood” or “woods”.

Boucher

This French surname is another example of an occupation becoming a last name. This is because un boucher is a butcher.

Cadieux

Cadieux is a variant of the Breton surname Cadiou, from cad or cat, meaning “combat”.

It may refer to a fighter or be a diminutive of the personal name Cadec, which has the same root.

Cartier

Cartier is another name that could have originated because of an ancestor’s job: a cart driver or ploughman. In some regions it can instead come from the personal name Carterius, associated with Saint Chartier.

Castillon

Castillon is a French surname referring to someone from a place called Castillon, meaning “small castle”.

Cellier

The modern French word cellier means “storeroom” or “cellar”. However, the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland also records Cellier from an Old French word meaning “saddler”, so “storeroom” is not a universal surname explanation.

Chapdelaire

We have not confirmed a reliable etymology for the exact spelling Chapdelaire. The explanation “hooded cloak, cape, hat” should be treated as unverified.

Chastain

Chastain is a French last name meaning “from the chestnut tree”.

The surname is linked to the Occitan word castanh, referring to the chestnut tree.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet may sound familiar as it is a car company which was founded in 1911 by Swiss-born Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant.

Swiss surname research explains Chevrolet as a diminutive of chevrol, referring to a young goat or roe deer, and as a nickname for an agile person. It is not simply an occupational name meaning “goat herder”.

Corbin

Corbin is a French surname linked to the Old French word corb, meaning “raven”, with a diminutive ending.

D’aureville

We have not confirmed a reliable etymology for the exact spelling D’aureville. “Golden village” is an unverified explanation.

De La Fontaine

This French surname means “from the fountain” and may sound familiar as it is the last name of a famous writer, Jean de La Fontaine.

There is also a French last name which is simply Fontaine meaning “fountain”.

De Villiers

This French last name comes from the many places called Villiers in France, from an Old French word for a farmstead or small settlement, so it originally meant “from Villiers”.

Dubois

Dubois is a French surname meaning “of the wood” or “of the woods”.

This name is also found in America: the 2010 U.S. Census recorded 23,366 people with the surname Dubois.

Dumont

Dumont is a French surname meaning “of the hill” or “of the mountain”. It can refer to someone who lived on a hill or came from a place called Le Mont.

Duplantier

This French last name could have come from where your ancestors lived: du means “of the”, and plantier refers to a planted area, often a vineyard, or to a place with that name.

Dupont

Dupont is a French surname meaning “of the bridge”. Like Duplantier, Dupont may refer to your ancestors living near a bridge.

Durand

This French last name means “enduring”. It is an old French name and is one of the most common names in France.

Edouard

Edouard can come from a personal name corresponding to English Edward, from Old English elements meaning “wealth” and “guardian”. It is not derived from the modern surname Edwards.

Escoffier

Escoffier is a surname from Provence. It comes from the word escohier, referring to a tanner or leather merchant. You may also know it as the name of the famous chef Auguste Escoffier.

Farrow

Farrow is an English surname with French linguistic roots. It is a form of Farrar, an occupational name for an ironworker, ultimately from the Old French ferreor.

Favreau and Fèvre

Both Favreau and Fèvre can be connected with a blacksmith, through names derived from Latin faber. Favreau is a diminutive of Favre, especially found in Vendée and Poitou; in some cases it may instead be related to Favier, a name for a bean grower. The two spellings are not simply a southern/northern pair.

Fournier

This French surname was used for a baker because they used the “four” (oven) to cook the dough.

Fraise

Fraise can refer to someone from Fraize in the Vosges. In other regions, such as the Allier, it may be a variant of Fraisse, a name linked to the ash tree or an ash wood.

François

You may be a little confused to see this name on a list of last names as it is more commonly associated with French first names, but it is also a common French surname.

As a surname, it comes from the personal name François, from Latin Franciscus. “Frenchman” is a traditional explanation of that name, rather than a literal description of every family bearing the surname.

Gagneux

Gagneux is an occupational surname for a cultivator or farmer. The surname itself does not mean “to farm”.

Garnier

This is another word that you may recognise as a brand name but is a French last name as well.

Garnier comes from the Germanic personal name Warinhari, with elements meaning “protection” and “army”. It is not simply a name for a grain store or its keeper.

Gauthier

Gauthier comes from the Germanic personal name Waldhari, whose elements mean “to govern” and “army”, hence the familiar explanation “army ruler”. It is not derived from a word meaning “forest”.

Guillaume

Guillaume comes from the French personal name Guillaume, corresponding to English William. Its Germanic elements mean “will” and “helmet”.

Heroux

Heroux is a French surname which comes from the Germanic personal name Hariwulf: hari means “army” and wulf means “wolf”.

Houde

Houde can come from either of two Germanic personal names.

Hildo has a root meaning “combat”.

Audo has a root meaning “wealth”. A derivation from the département of Haute-Loire is not established.

Hubert

Hubert comes from a Germanic personal name with elements meaning “mind” or “spirit” and “bright”, hence “bright mind”.

Jacques

Jacques is another French name which can be a first or last name. It corresponds to Jacob, through Latin Jacobus; “the one who follows” is an overly simple explanation of its origin.

Janvier

Janvier is a French name that you may recognise from learning the French months because it translates to “January”.

Joubert

Joubert comes from a Germanic personal name combining gaut, associated with the Goths, and berht, meaning “bright” or “famous”.

Kaplan

Kaplan has several origins and is not exclusively French. In Jewish and several other European naming traditions it is linked to words meaning “chaplain” or “curate”; in Turkish, kaplan means “tiger”. It should not universally be derived from the Norman French caplain.

La Rue

La Rue literally means “the street” or “the road”, rather than “of the street”.

Lacroix

The meaning of this French surname is “the cross”.

Laflamme

Laflamme literally evokes “the flame”. In Québec it is recorded as a military nickname, notably in the name Quemeneur dit Laflamme; a torchbearer occupation is not an established general explanation.

Langlais

Langlais is a French surname meaning “the Englishman” so was typically given to those who moved to live in France from England.

Lapointe

Lapointe is a French last name meaning “the point”.

Laurent

Laurent is a French last name meaning “laurel”.

Lavigne

Lavigne originates from the Old French word “vi(g)ne” meaning “vineyard”.

Lavoie

This French last name was used for someone who lived near a road as it comes from the word “voie” meaning “road”.

Léandre

Léandre comes from a personal name of Greek origin. It is traditionally explained as “lion man”, but the first element is debated; the element meaning “man” is clearer.

Lemaire

Lemaire is linked to maire, a title used for various medieval offices. It can also distinguish an elder or senior person in a family, so it does not always refer to a mayor in the modern sense.

Lemieux

The origin of Lemieux is uncertain. Jean Tosti favours a connection with Norman place names such as Mieux, rather than confidently translating the surname as “the best”.

Leroy

This French name comes from the word “le roy” meaning “the king”. It is common in Northern France.

Lévesque

Lévesque is a French last name linked to the Old French word for “bishop”.

Lyon

Lyon can refer to someone from the city of Lyon, but it is more often explained as a variant of the personal name Léon.

Maçon

Maçon can be an occupational surname meaning “mason”. In some families it may instead be a diminutive of Thomas.

Meunier

This French surname means “miller”.

Monet

Monet is a shortened diminutive of a personal name ending in -mon or -mond, most often Simon. It is not always derived from Simon.

Montagne

Montagne is another location-based French surname meaning “mountain”.

Moreau

Moreau may have originated as a nickname for someone with a dark complexion, but it can also come from the old personal name Maurellus.

Moulin

The French word moulin, “mill”, comes from Late Latin molinum. As a surname, Moulin can refer to a miller or someone who lived near a mill.

Noyer

Noyer means “walnut tree”, rather than the walnut itself. The surname can refer to a place where walnut trees grew, especially in Maine-et-Loire; its origin in other regions is less certain.

Ozanne

Ozanne comes from a medieval baptismal name linked to Hosanna and Palm Sunday. It was not simply a surname derived from a female first name.

Page

Page is linked to a young boy or servant, a sense retained in the word page. A connection with the Greek paidion, “boy”, is probable rather than certain.

Palomer

The “pigeon keeper” explanation is sometimes given for Palomer, but we have not confirmed it in a specialist surname source.

Patenaude

Patenaude is a variant of the French surname Patenotre, also found in Québec. Patenotre can refer to a rosary maker, or secondarily to a devout person or church singer, through the Latin Pater Noster, “Our Father”.

Paquet

Paquet is usually explained as a diminutive of Pâque, a medieval personal name. Although modern French paquet means “package” or “bundle”, that is not a secure explanation of the surname’s origin.

Pascal

Pascal comes from a personal name associated with Easter, from Latin paschalis and pascha. The religious word pascha is also linked to Passover, but the surname is not simply translated as “Passover”.

Périgord

Périgord is also the name of a region in France. We have not confirmed whether that explains the origin of this surname.

Renaud

Renaud comes from the Germanic personal name Raginwald, whose elements mean “counsel” and “to govern”.

Richelieu

Richelieu is a place name, also found in surnames such as du Plessis de Richelieu. Its elements can be read as “rich place”; that does not describe the wealth of the person bearing the name.

Rivière

This French name was given to someone who lived near a river, from rivière, meaning “river”.

Rodier

Rodier may be an occupational name for a wheelwright, from Occitan rodièr. It can also refer to a place associated with a mill; a Germanic personal-name origin is another possibility.

Rousseau

Rousseau is a diminutive of Roux, linked to reddish hair or complexion.

Rutter

Rutter is principally an English surname with Old French linguistic roots; it also occurs as a Dutch surname.

The English name is usually linked to an occupational term for a player of the rote, a stringed musical instrument.

A less likely English origin is a word for a robber or highwayman. The Dutch name is also linked to a word for a freebooter.

Sauveterre

Sauveterre refers to a place with the sense “safe land”, historically land under the Church’s protection.

Segal

In an Occitan context, Segal is linked to rye and can refer to a place where it grew. The same spelling can also have a Jewish origin, from a Hebrew abbreviation associated with the Levites.

Sergeant

This French surname means “servant”.

Serres

Serres is a geographical surname linked to a ridge or chain of hills.

It is especially found in Southern and Eastern France; those regions describe its distribution, rather than providing two separate meanings.

Simon

Simon comes from the personal name Simon, ultimately from a Hebrew name associated with hearing or listening.

Soulier

The origin of Soulier is uncertain. A shoemaker explanation is often suggested, but Jean Tosti doubts it and discusses alternatives such as a sunny place or a house with an upper storey.

Tavernier

Tavernier comes from the French word for “innkeeper”.

Tremblay

Tremblay refers to a place planted with aspen trees and could have been used for someone who lived there.

Trottier

Trottier may have been a nickname for a courier or a stable boy, rather than simply meaning “fast walker”.

Toussaint

This French name can be linked to the term “Toussaint” which is All Saints Day.

Vernier

Vernier has different regional explanations: in Eastern France it can be a variant of Garnier; in Western France it may refer to a place planted with alder trees.

Vieux

Although modern French vieux means “old”, the surname is usually explained through regional vieu, from Latin vicus, meaning “village” or “hamlet”.

Vigneau

Vigneau is a geographical surname referring to a place planted with vines. It does not necessarily identify the owner of a vineyard.

Vinet

Vinet probably referred to a wine producer, or to a place with a small vineyard. It does not literally mean “to make wine”.

Visage

In modern French, visage means “face”. That word meaning does not by itself establish the historical origin of the surname.

Voclain

We have not confirmed a reliable etymology for the exact surname spelling Voclain. The explanation “the wealthy one” is unverified.

Yotte

We have not confirmed a reliable etymology for the exact surname spelling Yotte. The explanation “small hedge” or “small woody plot of land” is unverified.

Zabelle

We have not confirmed a reliable etymology for the exact surname spelling Zabelle. A connection with Isabelle or with belle, “beautiful”, remains unverified.

Conclusion

There are many more French surnames, but this selection gives you a taste of their meanings and origins. Some names have several possible explanations, and a few rare spellings still need specialist confirmation.